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An Unlikely Social Justice Warrior
An Unlikely Social Justice Warrior
Making My Life Count as a Muslim Feminist
Author(s): Ani Zonneveld

A fearless memoir of activism, music, and faith, Ani Zonneveld’s journey defies boundaries and inspires change.
Publication Date 29 July, 2025 Available in all formats
ISBN: 9781917566995
Pages: 274
https://doi.org/10.62859/9781917566476

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About The Book

Table of Contents

About The Author

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Subject(s): activism, identity, social justice, patriarchy, Human Rights, Muslim feminism, Progressive Islam, Allyship, Cultural intersectionality, LGBTQIA+ rights

What happens when a Malaysian Muslim woman defies expectations and challenges patriarchy?

Ani Zonneveld shares her journey from Kuala Lumpur to rural Illinois, confronting invisible lines drawn by religion, gender, and race—all in pursuit of truth and justice.

From the music industry to global human rights forums, Ani uses her voice—literally and figuratively—to advocate for freedom of expression, women’s rights, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion within Islam. Whether navigating UN corridors or standing up to extremists, her story challenges dominant narratives and fosters radical empathy. Her memoir is a bold invitation to step out of tribalism and into allyship, using the intersections of feminism, faith, and the arts as tools for transformation.

Ideal for educators, students, and readers in activism, gender studies, LGBTQIA+ studies, Islamic studies, cultural anthropology, and human rights.

Ani Zonneveld is a Grammy-certified songwriter, activist, and founder of Muslims for Progressive Values. She champions women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and freedom of expression through faith, music, and advocacy.

Ani Zonneveld was interviewed on the Thom Hartmann Program, talking about the intersection of faith and feminism. This episode first aired live on November 7, 2025.

About The Book
Subject(s): activism, identity, social justice, patriarchy, Human Rights, Muslim feminism, Progressive Islam, Allyship, Cultural intersectionality, LGBTQIA+ rights

What happens when a Malaysian Muslim woman defies expectations and challenges patriarchy?

Ani Zonneveld shares her journey from Kuala Lumpur to rural Illinois, confronting invisible lines drawn by religion, gender, and race—all in pursuit of truth and justice.

From the music industry to global human rights forums, Ani uses her voice—literally and figuratively—to advocate for freedom of expression, women’s rights, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion within Islam. Whether navigating UN corridors or standing up to extremists, her story challenges dominant narratives and fosters radical empathy. Her memoir is a bold invitation to step out of tribalism and into allyship, using the intersections of feminism, faith, and the arts as tools for transformation.

Ideal for educators, students, and readers in activism, gender studies, LGBTQIA+ studies, Islamic studies, cultural anthropology, and human rights.

Table of Contents
About The Author

Ani Zonneveld is a Grammy-certified songwriter, activist, and founder of Muslims for Progressive Values. She champions women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and freedom of expression through faith, music, and advocacy.

Related Content

Ani Zonneveld was interviewed on the Thom Hartmann Program, talking about the intersection of faith and feminism. This episode first aired live on November 7, 2025.

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Tell us what you think.

A Life Composed of Justice and Song
This was an engaging, easy read written in a conversational style. I appreciated learning about the author’s wide-ranging pursuits—from producing both secular and faith-based music to activism for Muslim women’s rights in Burundi, LGBTQ+ rights, and defending religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries. Her story reflects the Qur’anic principle to “stand firmly for justice, even against yourselves.”

She writes openly about the backlash she faced as a progressive Muslim, criticized by Muslim, Christian, and atheist groups alike, while also noting the support she found from people with those same labels. She further addresses the misogyny women encounter even in secular corners of the music industry, and reflects on how sometimes the most radical act is to insist on visibility rather than erasure.

There are lighter moments too, like her table tennis skills and the anecdote about playing LL Cool J (I can’t recall who won the match). These touches make the book feel personal while balancing the heavier themes.

Overall, it’s a compelling read that shows her resilience and commitment to justice across communities. - Alia Abida Ashraf
If you want to contemplate a totally original life, read this book. It is a rare look inside the world of a serious activist for social justice and societal change. The book is less a summary of Zonneveld's life, although it is that as well, and more an elucidation of how far a person can go when they are leading with courage and purpose.
Inida Radfar
I am a lecturer in Islamic Studies in London and am fully immersed in the study of contemporary Islam.

I knew Ani's name from scholarly documentation of her activism, so when this book came out, I felt compelled to read it to see the personal elements that have shaped her activism. The book did serve this need!

In its pages, we see the personal experiences from childhood to the present that have shaped Ani's ethics, philosophy, theology, and morals. She is very careful to position her experiences as her point of view, avoiding the common mistake of claiming moral superiority.

The writing is uplifting, even when it describes uncomfortable events, and one or two incidents (especially the football drills with the Dalit boy) did make me cry. I also liked how she describes the people in her life in their full humanity, neither angels nor demons, in all their complexity.
If you need a story of personal transformation, character development and vision, then this is the book for you!

I liked the book so much that I made a video about it on my YouTube channel, and the comments confirm that the narration touches people's hearts!
I met Ani Zonneveld over 20 years ago, and I have supported her ever since we worked together, creating the interfaith arts festival God Loves Beauty, in Los Angeles. This annual festival celebrated the fact that people of faith have more in common than politicians would have us believe, especially the love of art. During the festivals we proved that Christians Jews and Muslims can share that love in each other's holy sanctuaries. Ani has made her life matter, in many ways even her father could not imagine. I encourage everyone to use her book as a teaching aid, and follow her example - We all have the power to improve the world around us. Congratulations Ani! Keep up the good work! - Christopher Stephan
Ani Zonneveld has written a penetrating and inspiring examination of the constructive and nurturing influences as well as the many invidious forces that have shaped and honed her unique identity. After reflecting on her privileged origins and fascinating early life, she then guides us through a labyrinth of ethnic and religious bigotry and misogyny that failed to inhibit her throughout her remarkable and ongoing career, both as an accomplished songwriter and performer and as a principal founder and leader of Muslims for Progressive Values. Her intimate memoir introduces us to an indefatigable and irreplaceable voice for human rights and gender equality, and for intellectual, personal and creative freedom. Endlessly uplifting.
—David Hinkley, human rights activist and former chairperson of Amnesty International USA
I loved this book! Ani Zonneveld is a national treasure: A progressive Muslim woman who embraces both her religious tradition as well as the humanistic tradition underlying social justice movements. She sees confluence, not conflict, between the teachings of Prophet Muhammed and the struggle for equal rights for women, racial and ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ+ communities. As such, she places herself in opposition to much of the organized Muslim religious world which she describes as conservative, misogynistic and homophobic. In stirring prose, the author traces her life from that of a privileged girl growing up in a family in which her father was a Malaysian diplomat stationed in numerous capitals throughout the world to attending a state university in Illinois and from there to Los Angeles where she became a songwriter and record producer. Abandoning the music industry 20 years ago, she followed her passion and calling and founded Muslims for Progressive Values, providing a home for co-religionists who, like her, embrace both Islam and equal justice values. Ms. Zonneveld is a voice to be reckoned with. Hear its passion and intelligence in this book.
—David Altschul

If you are struggling with identity, purpose, and the path forward – this book is for you. It’s a journey through the human experience and the societal expectations that keep us small. Ani’s voice is brave, powerful, and personal.

— Sarish Khan

Zonneveld's UNLIKELY WARRIOR is must reading for anyone who wants to know about American Islam. Ani is the leader of progressive Islam.

— Rabbi Burton Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary

Ani’s memoir is both a delightful and insightful read. Anyone who has had to struggle with, look anew, discard and then rebuild spiritual foundations within their religious heritage… will find her experiences to be enlightening and uplifting. I found her journey valuable… Because it reminded me of my own. Even though we come from different faith backgrounds, much of what she had to deconstruct in order to become a Muslim who also espouses progressive values… reminds me of the work that I had to do with them a different framework of Protestant Christianity. It was helpful to see the similarities in our processes yet from a different vantage.

Her memoir is engaging and fun to read. I think anyone who has or is struggling with their faith… because they find the struggle worthwhile… and come out with a healthier and more holistic way to live will find meaning in her words. I’m grateful she chose to tell her story.

— Kevin Heifner
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